|
 A
good sky photographer watches the
sky, prepares for the weather and is always ready with
equipment. He or she understands the phenomena,
practices effective techniques, and respects others and
the environment. The above well-crafted image positions
the strongest point of visual interest off-center, while
the stark silhouette contrasts with a clear sunset’s
spectrum in an attractive and strong composition.
Setting: sunset; the seacoast of Pisa, Italy;
February 2006.Weather: clear and dry, low east wind,
5°C. Equipment: Canon 5D and Canon EF 135 mm f/2.
Photographer: © Marco Meniero.
Photographing the sky
and its infinite variations of light, color, patterns,
contents, displays and conditions can be both a
satisfying artistic hobby and, in the case of rare
phenomena, a scientifically significant documentation.
Keep a notepad with you to record locations, times,
exposures and other pertinent information.
Equipment.
35
mm SLR camera or digital camera; tripod. Many sky scenes
can be captured with the normal 50 or 55 mm lens, but
broader shots may need a 24mm wide-angle lens. A lens
hood is helpful in bright sunlight or in highly
reflective areas to keep extra light from entering the
lens.
While black-and-white films can produce dramatic
skyscapes, color is essential to capture twilight
colors, halos, rainbows, and other optical effects.
Slower films (100 ISO and lower) have finer grains and
can produce sharper images, but are less sensitive to
light. In low light situations, higher speed films may
be necessary.
Because the human eye and photographic film respond
differently to colors, filters are often used for
enhancing contrasts in the sky and clouds. For instance,
our eyes see yellow as the brightest color, but film
senses blue as the brightest. Filters tend to lighten
objects of their own and similar colors, while darkening
others. Some worthy to the job and their effects:
|
Filter |
Advantage |
|
Red |
renders blue sky nearly black; heightens
dramatic effect |
|
Orange |
darkens sky, reduces distant haze; improves
texture of sunlit objects |
|
Yellow |
mildly darkens the sky and brightens clouds |
|
Skylight |
reduces blue in shade or on heavily overcast
days |
|
Polarizing |
darkens clear blue sky, enriches colors,
cuts unwanted reflections, glare |
|
Ultraviolet/Haze |
faithful to blue sky, captures cloud colors
well; eliminates haze |
Composure.
Most photos are more visually pleasing if the main
subject is fully framed, but not directly centered, and
is offset by a third—either horizontally and/or
vertically. This practice is called the “rule of
thirds.” Mentally divide both the horizontal and
vertical dimensions of the frame into thirds. By
positioning the strongest points of visual interest
where the imaginary lines intersect, you’ll almost
always end up with a strong composition and a compelling
image. Often including a portion of the foreground or
landscape in the frame adds interest and a sense of
scale. Never look at the bright Sun through the camera.
Technique.
Because natural skylight is so tremendously diverse in
direction, intensity and color, and varies with the
season, time of day, weather and other momentary
conditions, the trickiest variable to get just right is
the exposure of the film or the digital sensor to the
available light. A rule of thumb is the “Sunny 16 Rule:”
on a bright sunny day, set your aperture at f/16 and
your shutter speed as close as possible to inverse of
your film’s ISO for the best exposure. Subtract a stop
for extra bright subjects, and add a stop for dark
subjects. Add an additional stop for side lit, and 2
more for backlit subjects.
|
Sunny 16 Rule & Corollaries |
|
ISO |
shutter
speed |
sunny bright
distinct shadows |
cloudy bright
full Moon
soft-edged shadows |
cloudy dim
half Moon
barely visible shadows |
stormy dark
quarter Moon
no shadows |
|
64 |
1/60 |
f/16 |
f/11 |
f/8 |
f/5.6 |
|
100 |
1/125 |
f/16 |
f/11 |
f/8 |
f/5.6 |
|
200 |
1/250 |
f/16 |
f/11 |
f/8 |
f/5.6 |
|
400 |
1/500 |
f/16 |
f/11 |
f/8 |
f/5.6 |
Use a lens hood (or a hat or something else) to keep
extra light from entering the lens. Even though you may
not have the Sun in the frame, it could still shine
directly into the lens (or be reflected in) and wash out
your image. If the Sun is in the frame, cover it with
another object in view, such as a leaf or street lamp or
branch. Close the aperture one-half to one full stop
more than the camera indicates, and make multiple
exposures with varying f-stops to bracket the
subject. © Tim Herd |
